The ABC’s of Anne Frank performance based assessment is designed to help students develop informational writing skills with a specific audience and purpose in mind. Students must convey their knowledge of Anne Frank to younger students, specifically fifth graders, in a format that integrates writing, research, and design. The assessment promotes critical thinking by making students convey the tragic and often graphic nature of the Holocaust and life of Anne Frank in a way that is suitable for a young audience. The assessment gives each student depth of knowledge about World War II, the Holocaust, and the life of Anne Frank, promoting metacognition well beyond the reading of the play. It is the culminating activity in a unit on Anne Frank that includes readings in the genres of nonfiction and drama.** This performance assessment was developed by a collaborative team of teachers and division staff from Middlesex, Poquoson, and West Point school divisions.

Students will read nonfiction articles on a topic of their choice to create an informative article that incorporates important details, evidence, and uses vocabulary that expresses ideas precisely and concisely.  Students will include one purposefully crafted visual text feature in their writing.  Students will organize their writing in a way that aids comprehension for the reader. 

Students will participate in a variety of activities to complete the experiment, and the student will produce written steps, notes, and results for each part of the experiment using the scientific method. For each part of the experiment, students will do the task two ways: sitting cross-legged on the floor to simulate what it would be like to be Kevin, and standing on a chair to simulate what it would be like to be Max** This performance assessment was developed by a collaborative team of teachers and division staff from Middlesex, Poquoson, and West Point school divisions.

mini-From the beginning of the novel study, students will focus on what it means to be a hero, and who acts heroically in the story. At the conclusion of the reading, they will use the evidence they have gathered throughout their reading to determine who the hero in the story is. They will use this evidence to produce a five-paragraph essay to support their claim.** This performance assessment was developed by a collaborative team of teachers and division staff from Middlesex, Poquoson, and West Point school divisions.

The thinking strategy of I used to think...but now I think gives students an opportunity to reflect on how their thinking has changed over the course of time through instruction and experiences. This activity demonstrates a specific way that eighth-grade students can reflect upon their middle school career. This could also work for students at the end of a course, semester, or year.

This resource provides a rubric written for middle school students to self-assess their narrative writing. Teachers may also use it for assessment. In this remix, the parts of a narrative essay are outlined.

Remixed from Clarity Innovations' "Persuasive Writing Rubric--High School" available here: https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/22756-persuasive-writing-rubric-high-school.

Students write a multi-paragraph persuasive piece by developing their opinion on an issue and providing reasons/evidence that support their topic.

In this unit, students will delve deeper into the genre of myth to access appropriate standards.  The students will use Greek Mythology as a vehicle to master and apply fiction comprehension skills.  Students will also explore the background of Greek philosophers while applying and mastering nonfiction comprehension skills.  The students will show mastery by completing a Persuasive Writing Performance Based Assessment.

In this unit, students will examine the global topic of refugees.  The students will use nonfiction articles that provide students a background knowledge of the topic.  The articles will be the resources used to support learning of nonfiction VDOE Grade 8 standards. Students will apply comprehension skills daily throughout the unit of study.   The acquired background knowledge will support the second half of the unit as students will take part in a novel study using Refugee.   The students will show mastery by completing a persuasive writing performance based assessment. 

In this unit, students will delve into a novel study for Refugee.  The students will use the novel as a vessel to practice and apply comprehension skills.  Students will also explore the challenges of three adolescents who are all faced with the difficult decisions of having to leave their homes.   The students will show mastery by completing a Persuasive Writing Performance Based Assessment. 

This unit will focus on the not-so-distant future of the students - employment.  Students will analyze the process to identify necessary character traits of a strong employee by reading nonfiction and making connections between their lives and the reading by exploring potential careers.  The unit will culminate with a persuasive essay about the qualities of a good employee.

This resource provides a rubric written for middle school students to self-assess their expository writing. Teachers may also use it for assessment. In this remix, the parts of an expository essay are outlined.

Remixed from Clarity Innovations' "Persuasive Writing Rubric--High School" available here: https://www.oercommons.org/authoring/22756-persuasive-writing-rubric-high-school.